Court ruling: OK to search in car didn't include under hood

Updated 2:07 pm, Monday, February 12, 2018

BOSTON (AP) — Massachusetts' highest court says a police search under a car's hood and air filter that produced a bag of guns was unconstitutional because officers were only given permission to search the interior of the vehicle.

The Supreme Judicial Court ruled Monday in the case of Anthony Ortiz, who was arrested after he was pulled over by Holyoke officers in 2015. Ortiz told the officers they could check when he was asked if there were any drugs or guns in the vehicle.

Officers raised the hood after nothing was found in the passenger areas of the car. They removed the air filter and found a bag with two guns.

The high court says the permission given to officers to search the car didn't extend to the area under the hood.